


Tea at the end of the world

by TeaandBanjo



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Gen, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22401817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaandBanjo/pseuds/TeaandBanjo
Summary: It's all over.  There is nothing left but scavengers, searching the ruined landscape.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29
Collections: Miss Fisher's Flashfic Challenge Heat 1





	Tea at the end of the world

Hugh Collins shaded his eyes and looked into the hazy distance. The sun wasn’t yet high enough to clear the fog. “So, where are we exactly?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Jack Robinson fanned himself with his battered fedora as he bent over the stained map. “The coast line is never where these old maps say it is supposed to be, but not even the Apocalypse can move the hills, even if a few tall buildings went missing.”

“Well, we followed the road, where is the airport?” Hugh thought about his mother and his little sisters back in the mountains. He missed them, but he hadn’t missed the tiny shack made from scavenged plastic. Still, two weeks of following Jack hadn’t found any of the things Jack said he was looking for, and they were running out of food.

“Give me a couple of minutes, alright?” 

Hugh leaned against the broken concrete pillar and took a sip from his water bottle. They would need to find more soon.

  
  
  


Dot Williams adjusted the heavy pack on her shoulders. “Look, Miss. We found the suburbs. See, that’s a hybrid rose bush by that brick wall. Someone planted that...before.”

“Excellent work, Dot!” Phryne adjusted her parasol and stomped through the drifting dust. “Let’s take a quick look around and see if anyone left anything for us.”

The two of them pulled on thick leather gloves from Dot’s pack and went to work in the wreckage of the house.

The sun was quite far up in the sky by the time they finished. 

Dot had discovered sage, mint, and chives in what used to be a vegetable patch, and had the good fortune to corner a feral chicken, which was now lacking a head and most of its feathers. “We’re going to need to start a fire, but I think we have dinner!”

“That will be delicious!” Phryne held up a net shopping bag. “I found a jar of raspberry jam, three dirty spoons from under what used to be a sofa, and a tin of loose tea.”

Dot smiled. The two of them had run out of tea a week ago, and Phryne was always hard to get out of her bedroll early in the morning.

“Also, I found an old phone book, that has a useful map in the back.” Phryne’s smile put her cheekbones in sharp relief. “I think I found what we are looking for.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Hugh saw the two travelers from his spot on the top of the fuselage. He slid down onto the wing and poked his head into the cabin. “We’ve got company!”

Jack appeared in the door of the pilot’s compartment. “Crap. Let’s deal with that, and I can finish getting the radio out.” He followed Hugh back out onto the wing. “You climb back up where you have a clear shot if you need it, I’ll go talk to them.”

“Right,” said Hugh, and untied the shotgun from his pack. 

  
  
  


Phryne took in the straight line of the paved runway. It seemed to be in good shape, although with the sea water lapping at one end, it clearly wasn’t going to last forever. 

There were a few dust-streaked planes parked against the low shape of the terminal building. She wondered where the last flight out had been going. Did those passengers get to see Paris? Were they bound for Shanghai? Maybe the mythical Los Angeles…

She spotted a man climbing up the side of one of the less-damaged planes. There was another striding out to meet them.

“Put on your company face, Dot! It looks like someone else is here first.”

As the man approached, she took his measure. He would be tall, even without the hat, and his stride was long. He seemed calm, and both hands were visible, even though he could easily put them in the pockets of the coat that swished behind him as he walked.

“Good morning!” she called. “It’s lovely to meet a fellow aviation enthusiast!”

“Miss,” he said as he paused in front of them. “Nothing has been flying out of here for a long time.” 

“I’m newly arrived in a dangerous town. Perhaps you could show me around.”

“There is nothing to see. The buildings have all been scavenged already, and are now full of possum nests and lizards.”

“That’s too bad. I was hoping to see some evidence of the past.” 

“That’s easy. There is broken stuff all around.” His eyes were very blue, and somewhat sad. “None of this matters, and it’s all going to be underwater in another fifty years.”

“On the contrary.” Phryne displayed her brightest smile. “Lunch matters! You and your friend over there should join us. Dot will roast a chicken. I’m Phryne Fisher. ”

The man’s mouth twitched, just a little, at the corner, and he tipped his head. “Jack Robinson.”

“Delighted!” She held out her hand.

Now he showed his teeth, and gave her a careful handshake. He turned away for a moment. “Collins! Over here!”

  
  
  


The four of them ate roast chicken, and drop scones with raspberry jam, while sitting in the shade of the jetway. 

“I haven’t taken anything seriously since the world ended,” explained Phryne, leaning against Jack’s shoulder.

“The world hasn’t ended.” Jack waved a chicken bone in the direction of Hugh and Dot, who were sitting quite close to each other near the fire. “It just isn’t anything like the world we remember.

**Author's Note:**

> Melbourne airport is currently about 100 meters above sea level.


End file.
